Millions of people suffer from various forms of chronic sleep disorders (CSDs), including insomnia, sleep apnea, and periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). CSDs may account for billions of dollars of lost work productivity. For example, sleep apnea alone has been estimated to cost workplaces $150 billion annually.
While the number of patients seeking help for CSDs has grown in recent years, a majority of those suffering from a CSD remain undiagnosed. A significant factor that disincentives potential patients from seeking help is the high cost. Professional assessments of sleep, such as administering a polysomnogram, usually engage a patient to spend a night at a “sleep lab” to monitor various factors while the patient is sleeping, such as brain activity, eye movements, heart rate, and blood pressure. These assessments typically involve expensive equipment, and can cost upwards of $5,000 per night.
While home sleep test designed to be self-administered by patients do exist, many such tests still use elaborate equipment that is assembled by the users (e.g. home assembly), which can be frustrating, and can be uncomfortable to wear. Many such tests also attach multiple parts to a patient's body, including an oxygen monitor, nasal tubes, and chest straps. Additionally, these tests are often inaccurate. Therefore, multiple attempts are usually conducted to capture meaningful data. Furthermore, the recorded data in these tests is often sent to physicians for analysis, thereby adding a logistical obstacle to the diagnosis and monitoring of a potential CSD.